Panama Fighter

McWilliams, Sean

A circle is a collection of an infinite number of points having three things in common: a single focus, an equal distance from that focus, each a beginning as well as an end. For me, that focus is the forge fire. From the first time I lit a fire in a coal forge, the smell was something at once comforting and familiar. I had found, or rediscovered, my focus. From that first experience, forging a nail, working hot metal became my passion. The rhythmic ring of hammer and anvil became my song of freedom; the anthem of my soul. Blacksmithing had brought me back to a point on a circle, a place I’d been before; a deep soul memory far beyond my youthful years. There is great power, wisdom and magic in that circle. The hammer goes up and down in a circular motion, the iron goes round and round. A timeless cycle of life begins and ends and begins anew. For me, blacksmithing is a direct connection to timeless and fundamental past. For over forty years, I have dedicated myself to the pursuit, perfection, and procreation of this timeless craft. So, I offer you my art in iron and the joy and celebration of freedom that is forging hot metal with hammer and anvil. In returning to full-time knife making after a thirteen-year absence, I’m grateful for the encouragement from loyal customers who believed in me and my blades. When I started forging stainless steel knives about thirty years ago, it created quite a controversy. Many said it couldn’t be done or wasn’t worth the effort. The controversy might remain, but not to the many, many knife enthusiasts who have owned and used my blades over the years. It is for these loyal enthusiasts and the many new customers that I am back and will be around for a good many years to come. My knives will be around way beyond